The Moments Inbetween
by x23kmsr26x
Summary: A series of steamy Charles and Liza one-shots for all the TC lovers out there, including elaborations and alterations of scenes that come up on the show. Please feel free to comment with requests or suggestions for future scenes.
1. Welcome Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own Younger, any of its characters, storylines, or scripts.

Charles eased the door to Liza and Maggie's apartment shut, trying carefully not to awake the sleeping residents. It was well past midnight and all the lights were off. He hadn't expected anyone to be awake, in fact, Liza didn't know that he was even coming over.

He and Zane had been in Vermont for the past two days, meeting with a potential author at his wooded ranch outside of Montpelier. The author was a recently retired political fixer who had worked for the past four presidents and was now ready to share his experiences with the world. He was a gritty, politically incorrect crass sort of fellow, but he was charming at the same time. The memoir might not come with as much name recognition as some of the other authors they were courting, but it would make everyone money if they did it right.

So, he had dropped Zane off at his apartment in Chelsea and had headed in the direction of his house when he paused. The girls were with Pauline and he didn't want to go home to an empty house. He missed Liza with every inch of his body, and he needed to see her, tonight.

And, he thought, smiling as he turned the car around, he had a key. Liza had given it to him a few weeks ago, but he hadn't had occasion to use it yet. She'd been clever about it, slipping the key onto his keychain while he was asleep one night. He hadn't realized he even had it until two nights later, when they climbed the steps to the loft to find the door locked. Liza had been carrying a bag of groceries in one hand and texting furiously with Kelsey with the other, and had looked at him, smirked, and suggested that he use his key.

He slipped his shoe off by the door, setting his overnight bag next to them, and tiptoed across the living room towards Liza's room. Her door was slightly ajar and her bedside lamp on, casting the room in a rosy glow. He couldn't help but smile as he took in the fallen book on the floor. He'd lost count of how many times she fell asleep in the middle of reading. He'd gotten in the habit of removing her reading glasses, dog earing her book and turning off the lamp at least a few times a week. He preferred her to fall asleep after other evening activities, but the girl loved her books.

He wanted no more than to slide in next to her and hold her. In the almost two years between Pauline leaving and he and Liza finally getting together, he had become accustomed to sleeping alone in a big bed. But that quickly changed when he and Liza became a couple. Whether it was at the townhouse in his king-sized bed or on her double, he'd gotten used to having her body near his. Two days without her and he'd barely gotten any sleep.

She lay on her side, light from the lamp streaming across her face and hair. She appeared asleep, a sheet covering her slender frame. Charles stood at the end of bed looking down at her, knowing there would never be another woman for him again. She was a part of him now, and he had every intention to grow old loving her. It was the most exciting feeling he'd ever felt.

He undressed quietly, letting his clothes fall in a heap at the foot of the bed. Silently, he walked to the side, lifting the sheet behind her, sliding in to fit behind her, spooning her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. She shifted and sighed in contentment, cuddling closer to him and rubbing her backside against his partial arousal. That was all it took.

Liza turned her head toward him, and their lips and tongues met with wild abandon – the passion was instantaneous. He reached down and felt between her thighs, reveling in the knowledge that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. His body moved of its own free will, entering her quickly from behind, both of them moaning quietly in pleasure. His hands glazed over her smooth skin, cupping her breasts, their peaks hardening instantly against his fingertips.

She moved with him, slowly and sensually, arousing him more than any woman ever had before. He pushed her silky chestnut strands away from her shoulder, letting his lips and tongue glide over the stain texture of her neck and throat. A growl escaped his throat as he heard her moan, and he pushed into her smoothly, both of them caught in an easy rhythm, blocking out any other part of the world that existed. He was so lost in the feel of her, moving his hands over he body as he clung to her, drawing her closer. He felt her body tighten around him, responding with passion and love, hearing her cry out his name. He closed his eyes, feeling himself pulled into her passion, an abyss of warmth, love and need. He felt his body release and he pulled her as lose as he could, pressing his lips against her temple with a deep, low sigh of pleasure, riding the waves back down into reality.

Slowly, she turned to him, letting herself be wrapped securely in his arms. He held her closely, rubbing her back with his hands, and she sighed contentedly.

"Welcome home," she whispered, kissing his chest. He kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes as he breathed in the sweet fragrance of her shampoo, a combination of vanilla and peaches.

"I can't get enough of you," he whispered. Liza smiled, his love for her warming her heart and filling her body. She tipped her head back, letting their lips meet. Within moments, the fire flamed into the promise of a long night of passion.


	2. The Stacks

**Disclaimer: I do not own Younger, any of its characters, storylines, or scripts.

*Imagining this scene set in Season 5*

Liza tapped her foot anxiously, rereading the same line on the page in front of her for the fifteenth time in a row. She'd been doing good for about a half an hour, getting through a few chapters of a manuscript she was reviewing for Kelsey.

It had been Charles' idea to come to the library this Tuesday evening. They'd planned on having a quiet night at the townhouse, as the girls were spending the week with Pauline. But when they'd arrived home from the office, they'd been greeted by the sounds of some extreme renovations in the building next door. She clearly had more patience for the disturbance – by the third loud crash Charles had sighed heavily and suggested they get out of there.

She hadn't really been surprised when the car pulled up outside the library. It had quickly become one of their favorite places. It was their secret rendezvous spot after work. They'd taken to strolling through Bryant Park after leaving the office, meeting on the steps of the library and strolling through the wooded paths. He always paused to pull her into a kiss in front of the fountain, sometimes gentle and sweet, sometimes hungry and possessive.

He'd even taken her on a date to the library a few weekends ago, surprising her with tickets to a guided tour of the notoriously secure library stacks. He'd had just as much fun as she had, geeking out over the random historical facts, the smell of the books, all of it. Liza had felt overwhelmed with love for him, watching him listen to the guide in total rapture. Neither Josh nor David would have thought of, or tolerated, an afternoon of books.

Her mind was clearly wandering, and she sighed as she started back at the top of the page. How could she focus, with Charles sitting there, inches from her? He sat, leaned back in his seat, reading a New Yorker article on his laptop. He'd reached up to take her hand a few minutes ago and was now casually tracing designs on her palm.

She sighed, shifting in her seat and tossing him an amused glance. She caught the smirk on his face and rolled her eyes. He was clearly trying to distract her, and it was definitely working.

"I'm trying to read here," she whispered, ensnaring his fingers with hers and squeezing his hand. Charles turned his head towards her, grinning. "So am I." He squeezed her hand back and seemed to go back to reading his article.

She'd gotten through a paragraph when she felt him shift and lift their joined hands, lowering them to underneath the table. Liza had to bite her lip when she felt him lay her hand on his upper thigh. He extracted his fingers from hers and reached over to her chair, playing with the hem of her dress, slipping his fingers underneath the fabric laying across her legs. She shivered at the heat that came along with his touch.

Two can play at this game, she thought, keeping her eyes on the page in front of her as she moved her hand up his leg, her fingers dancing across his thigh, playing with the buckle on his pants. She saw his sharp intake of breath and smirked victoriously before pulling her hand away and flipping to the next page of her manuscript.

He carried on with his teasing for a moment longer before sighing and shutting his laptop, sliding it into Liza's purse.

"Let's go," he whispered brusquely, standing and pushing in his chair. Liza got up, tossing her manuscript into the bag and flinging it over her shoulder. Charles was already walking away, but not towards the front entrance. Instead, she followed him upstairs and down a hallway.

"Where are we going? Charles!" She caught up to him and he reached down, grabbing her hand.

"We're almost there. Just trust me." She rolled her eyes, but let him lead her blindly down another hallway, pausing outside a heavy wooden door. He pulled a key out of his pocket.

"Where did you get that?"

He grinned again, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Oh, I know people. C'mon." He slipped the key inside the lock and swung the door open, holding a hand out to Liza.

The room was dark, except for the city lights shining in through the windows on the other side of the room. But there was no mistaking the tall rows and rows of books. They were in the library stacks. Which weren't open to the public.

"How the hell do you have a key to this?" She smacked him playfully as he started down an aisle.

"Shhhh. You don't want to get us caught now, do you, Ms. Miller?"

"I, uuuh, wow. Look at that." She dropped her bag with a thud, wincing at the noise. Charles came up behind her as she stood at the floor to ceiling windows, and wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his face into her neck.

"Yeah, it's pretty fantastic, isn't it?" They stood there for a moment, taking in the view before them. Bryant Park was sprawled out in front of them, a darkened expanse of green in stark contrast with the city lights beyond it. It was dark, and the lamps in the park glowed, like candles in the dark.

"Yeah, it is." Liza sighed breathlessly.

"That's not why I brought you up here though," He whispered, his voice husky, his breath warm against her neck.

"Mmmmm," she sighed, leaning against him and reaching back with one hand to pull her hair over one shoulder, exposing her neck to him. Charles lowered his head to her neck, his teeth and lips grazing across her collarbone, moving slowly upward to the sensitive spot just behind her ear. His hands slid down the length of her body, squeezing her hips. He pulled her flush against his body so that she could feel how ready he was for her before spinning her around and pulling her back into the shadows of the towering bookcases.

Liza stumbled backwards into one of the darkened aisles, not breaking her eye contact with Charles as he walked towards her slowly, like a cat stalking its prey. She backed up against one of the bookshelves as Charles approached her, bumping some of the books backwards into the recess of the shelf behind her. Charles grinned mischievously, his eyes dark, his breath slow and steady as he stepped up to her. His hands found her hips again, pushing her body flush against the bookcase as he pressed his body against her and lowered his lips to hers. He nudged her legs apart with his knee, pushing against her again, growling deep in his throat as she pushed her hips towards him. Nipping at her bottom lip he pulled back momentarily, one hand skimming her thigh before he reached up and slowly, torturously, pulled on the string that tied her wrap dress together. Her dress fell open, the blue fabric falling to her sides and exposing her body to him. She bit her lip and looked up at him, watching his darkened eyes take in her exposed body, the thin lace garments covering her.

'You're so damn gorgeous, Liza." He whispered huskily, moving to hover close to her, tracing a single finger over her skin. She responded by reaching up to snake a hand around his neck, pulling his mouth to hers, and kissing him slowly, sensually, opening her mouth to let him inside. She felt him moan and push his body back against her so that she could feel every inch of his need for her.

The passion of their kisses increased, and Charles ground his hips against her provocatively, eliciting sounds from Liza that made his desire for her grow even stronger. His tongue darted in and out of her mouth, nipping at her lips as he felt her hand wander to his waistband, unhooking his belt and unbuttoning his trousers. She gasped as he lifted her up, using the bookcase behind her to support her. She moaned as she wrapped her legs around his waist, but he captured her mouth with his to silence her.

She gripped his shoulders, her nails digging through his shirt into his skin as he pushed his briefs and her panties down in one fluid moment and pushed into her. They both moaned through their kiss, Liza reaching back with one hand to grip onto the shelf behind her, her other hand wrapped around his neck as he thrust into her, pushing her back against the shelf, again and again and again. She could feel the pressure building inside herself, like every cell in her body was on fire and it was only moments before she tossed her head back and bit her lip to keep from crying out.

They clung to each other for a moment, their chests heaving, their breathing slow. Charles slowly extricated himself from her and they redressed silently, smiling to themselves. And as quick as they snuck in, they snuck back out the way they came, acting as if they had just been exactly where they were supposed to be.


End file.
